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Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship

Communications Committee Report

September 10, 2009

Members:  Judy Aydt, Melanie Bray, Yolan Presley, Ann Ruger, Bill Sasso,  Matt Schlessinger, and Dinah Seibert

1.  Introduction & Process Overview

            The CUF Board charged the Communications Planning Group with developing “a 3-5 year plan for CUF which outlines how we can communicate with our membership, potential members, and the larger community/region that we serve”.  According to that charge we submit the following report.

            We met 9 times (4/2, 4/30, 5/30, 6/3 6/24, 7/6, 7/28, 8/11, 9/3) from April through September 2009.  Members included  Judy Aydt, Melanie Bray, Ann Ruger,  Yolan Presley, Bill Sasso, Matt Schlesinger, and Dinah Seibert.  As the designated chair, it seems important to me that the CUF Board be aware that this was a model committee.  Members were on time, rarely absent, and discussed differences with equanimity.  They were an easy group to “lead”: staying on task, coming to meetings prepared with assigned homework, and meeting deadlines.  The combination of their competencies and their company allowed for a pleasant and effective working committee.  Bill and Dinah will have one final meeting with the CUF Board on 9/10/2009 to present this report.

After some time to get to know each other and assess interests and abilities, we came up with a plan and a list of implementation tasks.  Members divided up the tasks, did research, reported back to the committee, agreed to use a consistent format for documenting their research, thoughts, and opinions (copy of form on file).  These “Planning and Evaluation” forms were consolidated to complete the recommendations section of this report (copies of completed forms on file).

            We began by developing an extensive list of communication methods currently known to be in use at the Fellowship (list attached). Because of the breadth of the issues and the size of the committee, members worked on multiple part of this proposal.

            Our primary research was the surveys described earlier.  In developing these surveys we had extended discussions about how to keep the survey itself short, easy to understand and complete, while minimizing any bias that might creep into the process.  Although we did not use standard research techniques, the breadth and depth of experience on the committee lead to significant satisfaction with the survey, its implementation and summary.

            Additional informal research was done on website development, website developers, and extensive UU website experience.  Summaries of these data are noted and/or used in recommendations.  The summaries are also on file for review. 

            About half way through our meeting schedule, we decided that each Committee member should use what was heard through meeting reports, along with our own extra research and personal ideas , and begin to narrow the list of options and find some way to set some basic priorities among them.  We chose to have each member write a description of their top 5 ideas including references to costs of implementation.  From these lists, and 2-3 meetings discussion the details and merits of each, we developed the Recommendations for of this report
need description.

In the process of our investigation and discussions there were a few items that did not make it into the recommendations process that need description.

            1.         Regarding Emergency Communication, and partly because of the 5/8 storm, cell phone numbers have been collected and updated in CUF files already.

            2.         Regarding the Wayside Pulpit, the Committee has documented information on member concepts, including possible problems, and city and IDOT regulations requirements.  The Building Committee might want to review this report for those issues, or request a summary list.

            3.            The May 2009 issue of CUF Links had ad\n article from our Committee regarding the upcoming survey and or approach to this committee work.

            4.            The August 2009 issue of CUF Links had a notice titled “Tips for an Effective Message” to improve the quality and clarity of messages as well as to minimize redundancy of messages where necessary.

            5.            Finally, we discussed the concept of regular “Dedicated Servants Appreciation several times, but never fit it into the recommendations formally.  However, the Committee felt very strongly that some explicit system to acknowledge these special long-term or special effort members is a critical element of keeping all committees fully functioning.  Our report alone, asks for additional member volunteer effort.

2.  Congregational Input

          A.  Summary of Existing Communication Methods

Weekly bulletin on Wednesday of every week
Monthly newsletter called CUF Links published every month
   (not always in summer months)
Our website at www.cuuf.net

Order of Service
Live announcements at Sunday Services
An array of brochures located throughout the Fellowship
   (RE, Caring Ministries, Adult Programs, Visitor's Packets…)
Postings on bulletin boards and signs throughout the fellowship

Press releases to local news agency's about upcoming sermon/program topics
Sign in Foyer with building events, location and times
Printed material located in the sermon racks
   (Member Directory, Annual reports, printed versions of the sermons…)
Library 

         B.  Survey Overview
                
          Purpose:  Survey data were collected in order to assess availability and effectiveness of the communication tools used by the congregation.  Of particular interest were three questions:  (1) What are the range of methods used by Fellowship members, not only to learn about and participate in Fellowship events, but also to obtain information and interact more broadly, (2) What are the perceived strengths and weaknesses of these methods, and most importantly, (3) What new forms of communication are worth exploring?

            Method:  Two surveys were presented to the congregation during the spring and summer of 2009.  Survey 1 included 56 respondents, while the subsequent survey 2 included 36 respondents.  An important note is that while Survey 1 was distributed, completed, and submitted in hard-copy format, the congregation received Survey 2 in an email message, and several respondents completed and submitted their surveys electronically.  The goal of the first survey was to develop a broad picture of how the congregants evaluate the existing communications methods, as well as how they view potential growth areas.  The second survey took a more focused approach, and highlighted the Fellowship website, the bulletin and CufLinks, personal interaction, and new tools for communicating (e.g., Facebook).

          C.  Survey 1, Major Findings

• Overall satisfaction with existing communications methods, including the perception that needed information is available, is high (72%)
• The three most common methods of communication used by the congregation are (1) the Sunday Order of Service, (2) the Weekly Bulletin, and (3) personal conversation with other Fellowship members. 
• Three of the least common methods are (1) the CUF website, (2) the online calendar (hosted on the website), and (3) newspaper announcements about CUF events. 
• While 60% of the respondents use the internet on a regular basis (e.g., for email, news, etc.), 75% never or rarely use podcasts, blogs, video sites such as Youtube, or social networking sites such as Facebook. 

           D.  Survey 2, Major Findings

• While 40% of the respondents use the CUF website occasionally, 57% visit other websites frequently. 
• Use of the CUF website is not limited due to the lack of a computer (9%) or difficulties accessing the internet (17%). 
• While 60% of the respondents know there is a public section on the CUF website, 68% did not know there is a private section. 
• Three specific areas that can be hosted on the website, and would be used (if available and/or improved) include:  (1) directory of members (including photos), (2) an event calendar, and (3) program information (e.g., committees, activities, etc.). 
• 70% of the respondents note that the Weekly Bulletin and CufLinks serve different purposes, and overall 91% are satisfied with each format. 
• A majority of respondents would like to know more about other members (69%) and even more (84%) are particularly interested in receiving info about new members.  Most agreed (90%) that profiles of new members in CufLinks would be a benefit. 
• The congregation was equivocal on the use of new electronic technologies for communication such as podcasts and Facebook.  While 50% have no interest in these tools, another 35% are curious, but not sure how to use them.  Of the latter group of respondents, approximately half would like to receive training for Fellowship volunteers. 
• While there is an evident need for volunteers to help implement new programs, there were unfortunately only a few respondents in Survey 2 who are ready to offer a specific skill or ability (e.g., photography, writing, etc.).

 3.  Committee Recommendations

          NOTE: The first 3 are considered *foundational recommendations.

          A.  *New Data Base System & Office Infrastructure
                
            The committee recommends that the Fellowship purchase a program called “Servant Keeper” and it’s supplemental program “Clicbook”.  See Attachments A-C for detailed descriptions and program costs.

               RATIONALE:  “Servant Keeper” will save time, and therefore money, by using a data system that is more effective and efficient.  It will:
                        * meet our growing membership needs,
                        * provide information to aid in our new website construction,
                        * producing our own “in house” photo directory,
                        * manage member information in a way that will improve and aid in          relevant fellowship business and resources, and
                        * be the “foundation” to build a better communication system within the          fellowship and support an outreach effort as well.

               START-UP TIME REQUIRED:  Approximately one month of the office assistant’s time to export all current data and set up/learn new system.

               START-UP COST REQUIRED:   “Servant Keeper” is $499.00 and the extra photo directory software called “Clickbook” is $59.00.

               MAINTENANCE:   After initial start-up time it will require no ongoing maintenance or regularly scheduled maintenance costs.

           B.  *Next Generation Website

             CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends that the Fellowship create a new CUF Website to better serve the public outreach and community strengthening capabilities of the website, while maintaining access to the wealth of information that it currently provides. To do so, we propose a three-section website: outreach, Fellowship, and archives.

            DESCRIPTION: The website currently consists of two main sections: the public website and the (password-protected) members section. The public section is updated regularly, but its basic structure and “look and feel” date from 2002. This section includes information relevant to visitors and members of the Fellowship community, but to navigate it quickly and efficiently, one may need some understanding of the Fellowship. The password-protected members section, containing much useful current information, such as Board meeting minutes and associated reports, as well as a great deal of historical information of this type, can be difficult to navigate

               RATIONALE: The Outreach Section
               This section would be the Fellowship’s face to the larger community. It would actively welcome those seeking to learn more about our congregation and about Unitarian Universalism, and encourage them to visit us! It would be easy to navigate, and convey a sense of the hospitality we share with our guests.
               The outreach section would serve as the main entrance to the website, and would be specifically designed to include current information about staff, programs, location of the fellowship, what visitors might need to know, and links to community and UU resources. This would be specifically designed for navigation by someone who is not necessarily familiar with CUF or UUism more generally, and would include an explicit “point of entry” to the “Community Section” of the website. In concept, this section corresponds to a streamlined section of the current public section.
                    
                     Examples of information present in the outreach section would include:

• Descriptions of our staff, Board of Trustees, and membership 
• Current schedule of public activities (Sunday Service topics and speakers, religious education, regularly meeting open groups e.g., Psi Symposium, Humanist Group, etc.
• Podcasts and/or text versions from recent Sunday services
• Fellowship Contact information
• Directions (or a link to mapquest?)
• Current communications from CUF Officers and Staff (e.g., minister’s CUF Links column)
• A Short History of the Fellowship
• Mission and Vision Statements
• “Breaking CUF News” option (e.g., to publicize building closure)
• Entrance to (password-protected) Fellowship Community section
• Our presence in the community and the world (short descriptions of current CUF social action initiatives), with links to Rainbow Café website, SIUC Campus Ministry (i.e., RSO), Carbondale Interfaith Council, UUA, Central Midwest District, and other related public websites.

RATIONALE: The Members Section

This section would be constructed with these specific intentions:

• Making it easier for members of the Fellowship to strengthen their sense of community within the congregation;
• Helping members find and use Fellowship information (such as current versions of the CUF Bylaws, CUF policies and procedures, building schedule information, and so on);
• Helping leaders within the Fellowship (e.g., committee chairs) accomplish the work for which they are responsible in as efficient a manner as possible.

In order to do this, this section would include these types of information, organized in a manner that assumes some knowledge of the Fellowship:

• Member and Staff Directory Information, including member photographs
• Current issues of CUF Links and other Fellowship communications
• Current organizational information, including complete building schedule, current policies and procedures, Board reports and minutes, Leadership responsibilities, etc.
• Sign-up capabilities for participation in specific programs (e.g., Choir, Supper Club, Building Your Own Theology, etc.), social justice activities (e.g., cooking for “Feed My Sheep,” helping with highway pick-up), etc.
• Online Fellowship calendar and room reservation capabilities;
• “How to” information about doing things at the Fellowship;
• (and there are probably many more good ideas about what might be here)

To ensure the privacy of member’s information, this section of the Fellowship should be password-protected. We might want to offer members the ability to define their own passwords.

While some of the information included above (e.g., Fellowship Bylaws) is present on the public section of the current website, in a conceptual sense, this Fellowship Members section does not currently exist. Conceptually, this Fellowship Members section would be a new element within the CUF website.

RATIONALE: The Archives Section
This section corresponds closely to the current password-protected “members” section of the website. While this section contains a wealth of detailed information, it is not heavily used, perhaps because it is not easy to navigate.

In the short-term, this section would remain much as it currently is, password-protected, updated on a monthly period with Board reports and minutes and with other significant Fellowship documents. Standard naming and indexing conventions should be confirmed and consistently applied. For instance, should a report be indexed as “FY10: October” or “October, 2009?”

As time and resources permit, some enhanced navigation and indexing capabilities would be added. In the interim, before those enhanced capabilities can be added, a small group of volunteers familiar with the structure of the current section can be identified to assist those who need to find specific information in this section.

START-UP TIME REQUIRED: Working on the assumption that creating the new website with a Content Management System (CMS) will be done by professionals, a website could be developed over the course of one or two  months. A Content Management System allows anyone with minimal training to add, delete, and edit content.

START-UP COST REQUIRED: This will vary greatly depending on our solution.  If we were to find an eager SIU graduate IT student who would work with a Website committee, we might be able to pay a small fee and receive staff training on upkeep.  If we hire a professional developer, a flat rate will range from $200 - $1000. Additional services are typically billed at an hourly rate of from $30-$65 /hour. 

Mark Glass, a web developer UU from Houston, offers UU churches a flat rate of $4 /member. (e.g.180x $4=$720) He also offers a web hosting package at $10/month which includes nightly backup of all data and upgrades to the CMS software as needed, 1 GB space and unlimited email addresses. 

From Yo’s research of web site components and costs on the Internet the following figures can be applied to estimating the cost of a web site:

• Domain Name Cost: average is $9/year
• Hosting Cost: $75 to $200 a year (depending on traffic & website features)
• Web design and graphics development time Cost: 60 to 150 hours (based on a 15 page Website) ranges from $445 to over $6000.
• Web site Maintenance Cost: $500 to $1250 a year (if done professionally and dependant on time required.)

 (We currently pay Earthlink $20/month for domain and hosting) Please note that our fee to Verizon for DSL would stay the same regardless of what we do.

            MAINTENANCE TIME REQUIRED:  In Yolan’s experience of regularly updating our current site, but with the added features of podcasts and more current/dynamic information, she estimates 2-5 hours a month. However, with CMS this time would be divided into segments done by different staff, committee heads, etc.

               MAINTENANCE COST REQUIRED: With a CMS system, CUF members and staff would be doing the updates. If there were no problems, this would not be a cost.  Since our website’s inception, our members have handled all problems.

           C.  *Chalice Lighter Grant

CONCEPT:   The Committee recommends that the Fellowship apply to the Central Midwest District for a “community outreach” chalice lighters grant to assist in funding of the outreach efforts presented within this communications and outreach plan.

DESCRIPTION: The Chalice Lighters program is coordinated by the Central Midwest District, and is intended to support congregational initiatives toward growth, including clearly specified outreach programs. Grants typically range between $7,000 and $10,000. Funds come from the donations of individual UUs in the district, who have previously signed up to support growth efforts recommended by the Chalice Lighters Committee. The Chalice Lighters Committee accepts and reviews grant applications three times a year; submission deadlines are August 15th, November 15th, and February 15th each year.
More information about the Chalice Lighters program is available at www.cmwd-uua.org.

A Chalice Lighters grant might provide as much as $10,000 to assist in the implementation of outreach efforts suggested elsewhere in this plan. For instance, it might provide funding for website redesign, training for public relations specialists or campus ministry organizers, support for guest speaker presentations at the Fellowship or on the SIUC campus (when these are primarily designed as UU “outreach/visibility” initiatives), construction of a wayside pulpit, highway signage, advertising, and/or other outreach efforts.

The Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship has previously received Chalice Lighter grants in 1999 (in support of the transition to full-time ministry), in 2004 (in support of our transition into our new building), and in 2006 (in support of the emerging congregations in Cape Girardeau and Mt. Vernon).

START-UP TIME REQUIRED: The major time-element associated with submission of a chalice lighters grant application is the time required to prepare the application itself. In the case of a community outreach grant application, a plan for outreach, including budget information, is required. Elements of this plan could probably serve as an initial draft of such a plan. Representatives of the Membership, Outreach, and Finance Committees should be among those who develop the application. We estimate that an application can be prepared for review by the Fellowship Board in February, 2010, and submitted to the Central Midwest District by the February 15, 2010 deadline.

START-UP TIME REQUIRED:  Preparation of the application would require human time and energy, as well as the buy-in of the congregation as a whole. The Chalice Lighters Committee expects some degree of congregational investment in programs that request Chalice Lighters support, so the Fellowship would need to commit some financial resources. The Board would need to review and endorse the application prior to its submission.

MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST:   Periodic Board oversight of the outreach efforts themselves, and semi-annual progress reports to the Chalice Lighters Committee would be required.  Necessary Fellowship volunteers and limited staff would be required in implementation.

          D.  Photo Directory

CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends that the Fellowship purchase and maintain the software “Clickbook” to produce a photo directory for Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship.

DESCRIPTION:  The new photo directory for all CUF members will be up-loaded to the members only section of our website.  It will also be printed for those who wish a hard copy.  Copies will be added to each new member packet of information.  It is essential that this directory be easily updated and maintained by office personnel and/or Fellowship volunteers.

RATIONALE:  The creation of this CUF photo directory is in direct support of Goal #1 of our CUF Strategic Plan for 2006-2011 that states   "A Stronger and Deeper Community. We will strengthen our growing Fellowship by building upon our strong sense of community. We project that our membership will continue to increase at a net rate of about 5% per year. We will respond actively to the challenge to help new members find or create a space within the fabric of our community, and will put special effort into building an intergenerational community." 

In addition, the recommended software and “in house” system will accommodate new members as they join instead of waiting for the next printed update.

START-UP TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  The following steps are required to create the directory.

1.   Photographing all members  --estimated 4-6 weeks, volunteer time
2.   Digitally cropping, modifying, and saving  all photos to 150 dpi tiff files  --estimated 15-20 hours, volunteer time
3.   Creating text in Excel or MS Word (name, contact information, etc.)     --estimated 5-6 hours, volunteer time
4.   Importing all of the above into the recommended software program    “Clickbook” $59.00 -- that can be integrated into “Servant Keeper”
   Note: other options reviewed – Adobe Indesign, QuarkXPress, Instant    Church Directory
5.   Uploading directory to website --estimated 30 minutes, volunteer time or    $100-150 done by Thomas Printing
6.   Submission to printer—estimated time 10 day turnaround, supplies    estimated at $4.60 per directory

MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Approximately 4 hours of volunteer time per month will be required for update files & photos, and uploading changes and additions to the website.  Printed copies will cost ~$4.60 per directory.

          E.  Archives / Living History Project

CONCEPT:  Video interviews of members’ and former members’ memories  of the earliest years of the Fellowship

DESCRIPTION:  We are uniquely privileged to have the richest of resources for this project.  Many of the earliest members of the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship are still active and vital contributors to our community. 

Videotaped interviews of these members will provide a first-person narration of the first chapters of the story of our Fellowship.

RATIONALE:  What has made our Fellowship what it is today?  By creating a video history of interviews with long-time members of our Fellowship we will preserve the richness of our heritage and provide insight into the beginnings of our ever-growing, ever-changing community.

START-UP TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  This project will take approximately 4 months.   Using volunteers with their own camcorders and editing software the only expense would be about $ .31 per DVD (Memorex DVD-R- 16X, 4.7GB- 100 Pack).  It might be useful to purchase video editing software such as Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 for $50.00 or Adobe Premiere Elements 7 for $65.00.

Another option is to hire a videographer and editor.  These costs have not yet been researched.

MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Limited to copying DVDS.

          F.  CUF Library

CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends that the CUF Board adopt an explicit statement of purpose for the Fellowship Library.  Such a shared understanding of the core purpose(s) of the Fellowship Library will clarify expectations and better enable the Fellowship to provide resources necessary. 

In addition the Committee recommends that the Fellowship organize a “Library Committee,” of three to five members, perhaps as a subcommittee of the Program Committee.

DESCRIPTION:   On Tuesday, August 5th, Janet Levie, Janet Harris, JoAnn Nelson, Nillofur Zobairi, and Bill Sasso had a conversation concerning the purpose and status of the CUF Library. We reached a consensus that
the CUF Library's core purpose is to "feed the spiritually hungry" by

• First, providing access to resources (books, DVDs, CDs, etc) on Unitarian Universalist topics (history, biography, theology, practices, etc), world religions (history, practices, modern scholarship), and “topical” books written by or about members of the Fellowship;

• Second, where resources on a topic strongly reflecting the values of the Fellowship are not readily available elsewhere in the region (e.g., GLBT issues), maintaining/acquiring the library resources in this area; and

• Third, where resources can enhance the educational programs of the Fellowship (e.g., feminism, men's movements), the CUF Library should maintain/ acquire resources in these areas.

 
RATIONALE:   While we agreed on this core purpose, we did not achieve much consensus about how far beyond the elements identified above the Library could (or should be expected to) go, noting that the casual browser will often find books of interest that do not fall into any of the categories above. Some of us wanted the library to accept any reasonable contribution, while others felt that we should restrict our focus to complement the holdings of local and regional libraries available to the public. The resources (people-power, funding, space) that are currently available within the Fellowship seem to suggest that it is unrealistic for the Fellowship Library to attempt to serve as a “general-purpose” library.

Thus the  Library Committee could further consider these issues as well as use the italicized statements above for  their purpose statement.

Other important issues noted were the presence of another library in the Religious Education Commons, a suggestion that the proposed Library Committee examine the relationship of these libraries (and any others present in the Fellowship), and that it consider the resources needed to fulfill its core purpose as affirmed by the Fellowship.  Resulting recommendations could be brought to the Fellowship Board as input to Fellowship Year 2011 planning process. 

           G.  Emergency Communication Procedures / Systems

CONCEPT:   The Committee recommends Emergency Communication Procedures / Systems.

DESCRIPTION:  At the current time mass communication with members of the Fellowship (Weekly bulletin, CUF Links, notifications of events & cancellation of events) is done via the internet with USPS mailings to members not using the internet.

Recent events have pointed out the need for an alternate means of communication when electricity, internet and / or landline phone communications are unavailable.  To this end we recommend the following.

1.   A voluntary list of members’ cell phone numbers will be compiled.
2.   As new members sign up, their cell phone numbers will be requested.
3.            The CUF administrative assistant will maintain an up-to-date list of members’ telephone numbers AND cell phone numbers and will periodically email up-dated copies to the following people:
      * Minister
      * President of Board of Trustees
      * Congregational nurse
      * Caring & Sharing Chairperson, and
      * Others as recommended by Minister or Board of Trustees.
4.            One copy of the up-dated phone list will be posted on the bulletin board in the CUF Office.
5.            To activate the phone tree or cell phone tree, the initiator (as designated in By Laws) will call each of the people listed in #3 above to:
               * Convey the message, and
               * Assign the phone list (for example “You call last names from A-G.”).

RATIONALE:  The Fellowship currently has no plan for a telephone tree or utilization of cell phones when landline phones are unavailable. The above plan could greatly improve communication during emergencies.

START-UP TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Set up time is estimated at 4 months; to be done by volunteers and office workers.

MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  There will be a need for ongoing management as we get new members, membership changes, or phone numbers change.  This would be included in office expenses.

           H.  Community Outreach

CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends efforts to expand and improve the Fellowship’s Community Outreach.

DESCRIPTION

To accomplish this outreach to the wider community, we recommend the following steps.

1.             Appoint a volunteer PR Person who would be responsible for increased media coverage in the community. Working alone or with a team, this person would generate articles and photos, write press releases, and contact media and schools about congregational activities/events that might be of interest to the community. 

2.            Encourage members to promote the Fellowship in their everyday lives, including talking to friends and family about what we do, putting bumper stickers or decals on their cars, and inviting people to attend a service or event with them.

3.            Place permanent directional signs (at Hwy 13 and Murphysboro, Murphysboro and Parrish?) that would help first-time visitors find the Fellowship.

4.            Ask the Building and Grounds Committee to increase use of the building by the community.

5.            Erect a permanent “wayside pulpit” sign on Fellowship property, clearly visible to passers-by, that would be used to display rotating messages, such as

• appropriate quotations (Example: “No lie can live forever,” Martin Luther King, Jr.) or
• information on upcoming events (Example: Benefit Concert on September 10)

RATIONALE:   As a committee, we strongly endorse the need to expand the Fellowship’s visibility in Carbondale community and beyond. In addition to an enhanced website, there are many ways we can do this. We can spread the word more effectively and intentionally about who we are, through the media and through informal interactions. We can make it easier for people to find our building. We can bring more community people into our building. Finally, we can give people driving or walking by our building an idea of who we are and what we’re about.    Such image development is important for growing the congregation and also in making a wider population aware of an alternative place to worship.

START-UP TIME REQUIRED:  The first four steps above could be accomplished quickly, as soon as the board has time to address them. The fifth step, we believe, will require more time to complete. Although we support a “wayside pulpit” as part of an improved communication system, we believe that the decision about whether to erect such a sign must rest with the congregation. We also feel that the design and construction decisions should fall under the auspice of the Building and Grounds Committee. To facilitate the process, we recommend that the Building and Grounds Committee appoint an ad hoc task force to:

• solicit the congregation’s wishes regarding a “wayside pulpit,”
• initiate a design competition, if appropriate, and
• oversee the construction and placement of the sign.

We estimate that this process, from appointment of task force to placement of sign, would take about nine months.

START-UP COST REQUIRED: The only start-up costs would be those associated with the “wayside pulpit” and the directional signs; both these costs are unknown at this time.

MAINTENANCE TIME REQUIRED: 

1.            The PR Person would need to spend approximately 3-4 hours a month on his/her assigned tasks. If a PR team is formed, these hours could be spread among several people.

2.            Periodically, the minister, president and board would need to remind/encourage members to promote the Fellowship in their everyday lives.

3.            No time would be required to maintain the directional signs.

4.            The Building and Grounds Committee would need to review building use annually and identify potential new users in the community.

5.            Depending on the design of the “wayside pulpit,” between 15 minutes to one hour of volunteer time would be required weekly (?) to change the displayed message.

MAINTENANCE COST REQUIRED:  Little or no maintenance costs for any of the proposed community outreach steps.

          I.  Podcasts of Sunday Services

CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends  weekly audio and/or video recordings of Sunday Services.

DESCRIPTION:  Recorded podcasts of services could by available for download from cuff.net website.  In addition, they can be saved on the website for later viewing or by individuals for their MP3 player or “streamed

RATIONALE:  The following concepts provide the rationale for recorded services:  Good PR tool for advertising Sunday services/sermons,
Useful for long-distance members or members who have missed service, and
Creates a long-term archive of services.

START-UP TIME REQUIRED:  Recording podcasts can begin immediately pending needed equipment.  This work can be done with 2 volunteers:  1 to record services, and 1 to edit and upload to website.  In addition, the podcasts can be hosted immediately on our existing CUUF website.

START-UP COST REQUIRED:  The following lists necessary equipment:
< $100 for a digital AUDIO recorder,
$200 - $400 for a typical digital VIDEO recorder (HD not necessary)
NOTE:  recommended model should include an internal hard drive (e.g., 60GB) and/or the capacity to record on removable memory card (e.g., SDHC). and
Optional:  video editing software = $100-$200.

MAINT. TIME REQUIRED:  As an ongoing commitment 2 volunteers would be needed each Sunday for setup. One for  recording and breakdown and the second for editing and uploading recordings

MAINT. COST REQUIRED:  The following lists necessary maintenance costs:
$400 each 3-5 years to purchase a new camera, and
               $100 each 3 years to purchase a long-term storage medium (e.g., external hard drive).

           J.  Technology “Training” Project
     
CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends that the Fellowship organization intra-membership computer training program.

   DESCRIPTION:  With laptops set up in the Commons Area, those members with technical skills could share their expertise with new or novice users.  This could occur informally as part of coffee time, or at a regularly scheduled time.  Such larger group activities, might lead to one on one sessions is the new users home.  This is conceived as a totally open generational project.  Whether it includes teenagers teaching elders, or elders teaching busy parents, everyone could benefit from learning or sharing their gifts.

   RATIONALE:  Because the Fellowship is mirroring the times in it’s movement into using more technology, we feel a responsibility to make sure that all members who what to use the new technology can do so.  It would also create a greater pool of volunteers for various computer work needed around the Fellowship.

   START-UP TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Time would be of little consequence, except to meet the needs of the participants.  All training would take place by volunteers and equipment used would that of individual members as well.

          K.  Blog for “Joys and Sorrows”

CONCEPT:  The Committee recommends that  the Fellowship dedicate a blog to enhance “Joys and Sorrows” sharing.

DESCRIPTION:  This blog is NOT indented to replace ANY other type of communication, especially the sharing during Sunday Services.    It is an opportunity for greater connections between the sharers and those who care about them.  Members could keep updated on other’s well being to the extent that each individual desires.  Individual’s wishing to share could reduce the need to repeat it over and over if posted on a blog after the service.  As a result others would have the opportunity to share themselves and provide informal support separate from other more established systems within the Fellowship.

START-UP TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Time and cost would be part of the website budget, requiring IT to set up as part of website development.  The issues of privacy and monitoring would need to be clarified between a committee and the IT specialist.  Announcing and possibly training for Fellowship members would most likely be done my volunteers.

MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST REQUIRED: Possibility of updating the program would require some IT time.  In addition, volunteers would be needed to review content for appropriate use.  Possible it could manage itself, or the Pastoral friends could take turns monitoring content to assure a healing/healthy forum.

          L.  Intergenerational Communications

CONCEPT: The Committee recommends that the Fellowship promote more Intergenerational Communications among members.

DESCRIPTION:  This program could develop itself through brainstorming;  After discussion programs such as interviews, art projects, social acion/disscusion or effort,  The focus could be as broad or focused as the group desires.  Ideally many versions of intergenerational activity would occur such as elder-child, elder-to young parents, parents of teens with parents of toddlers, preschool-high school. 

RATIONALE:  Intergenerational provides direct access to different perspectives within a safe environment that encourages self-expression and that continuous quest for learning.  Specifically it broadens interests for children, it builds competencies such as perspective and valuing others.  It creates healthier environments for elders and increases interactions, challenges, expression, and self-worth. 

START-UP TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Time would be needed by dedicated volunteers to promote programs, organize people, guide children, and support elders.  Minimal small basic materials for activities and refreshments

MAINTENANCE TIME AND COST REQUIRED:  Attendees and guides would provide most of their own volunteer effort to maintain this project and manage and difficulties.  At some point the group might want to publish a descriptive booklet about their project..

3.  Follow-Up Options

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING:  SUNDAY service to present to REPORT TO members.
           
ASSESSMENT:            Early Follow-up Assessment is needed for this project between September and December 2009.  It could be accomplished through cottage meetings to invite open discussion about these com-com recommendations. our hope is that more will be “on board” at year-end business meeting,

IMPLEMENTATION:              The follow-up to this report is envisioned in one of two ways.  First is to expand and clarify functions of the standing Communications Committee.  Second is to designate Special Task Force Committees for specific purposes.

Attachments
Original survey 1 & 2, plus summarized data 1 & 2, plus objective summaries 1 & 2, list of methods from first meeting
Original survey 1 & 2, plus summarized data 1 & 2, plus objective summaries 1 & 2, list of methods from first meeting

On file
 meeting agendas and minutes available
survey raw data
reporting form

Individual member reports